It’s been said before but it bears repeating. The first rule of a traveling musician is, you go where the crowds are. For local country singer-songwriter, Zane Williams, those audiences can be found in some pretty remote locations. “I’m living the honky-tonk dream,” he says, using his bass player’s phone to…
Losing creative work in progress is an artist’s nightmare. Late last month in Deep Ellum, someone stole the backpack of local rapper -Topic. Inside was a hard drive with multiple albums’ worth of original music. The chances of the local rapper getting the hard drive back aren’t looking good. But the community…
It’s 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and a classic rock cover band is serenading a small, mostly middle-aged crowd lazing around a pool at the Shadow Hills RV Resort in Indio, California. They’re belting out Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” which seems like an odd choice for this hour — or…
Last week, we revealed the nominees for the 2016 Dallas Observer Music Awards. With five nominees each spread across 40 different categories, the ballot — which is open until midnight on Dec. 2, the night before the DOMA showcase — offers a pretty good overview of what the local music scene…
Slayer With Anthrax and Death Angel Gas Monkey Live!, Dallas Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 There is no group of fans more dedicated than thrash metal fans. The genre clichés of pseudo-satanism and glorified violence may seem a little tired, but for those who have been listening to Slayer and Anthrax…
Conor Oberst With Pearl Charles Granada Theater, Dallas Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 As Conor Oberst walked back to the stage to begin Friday night’s encore at a packed Granada Theater, he carried with him armfuls of brightly colored beads. “Here, take some! It’s Mardi Gras, bitches!” he yelled as he…
The State Fair of Texas is in full swing, which means justifying eating deep-fried everything just got a lot easier. But limiting the amount of beers and brats this month is probably a good thing, and with the shows happening in Big D, there are plenty of reason to spend…
M83 With Tennysons House of Blues, Dallas Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 M83, fronted by the French-bred Anthony Gonzalez, played House of Blues on Thursday, but it was a homecoming for one of the band’s members: Kaela Sinclair. The Dentonite is a musical powerhouse in her own right. Sinclair earned best…
The odds are ever in Ashleigh Smith’s favor, whether she’s in an international voice competition or competing in a beauty pageant. The University of North Texas alumna is stepping up to the front of the stage after spending six years singing backup for Chrisette Michele. Her jazzy R&B debut album,…
Before making his season 10 appearance on NBC’s The Voice, Matt Tedder had been on a mission to broaden his horizons. Shortly after graduating from Aledo High School in 2013, the blues enthusiast packed his bags and headed to Nashville. He never could’ve imagined it would lead him to national…
JT Donaldson is one of Dallas’ most accomplished DJs. With releases on a wide variety of labels including the legendary Chicago house label Casual, he has maintained a steady output. Along with his heavy involvement in Josey Records, Donaldson has been busy with his new record label New Math, which…
Texas is in the thick of festival season, and that goes for much more than just the marquee events in Austin. Dallas plays host to some of the year’s biggest North Texas music festivals, made possible thanks to the cooler weather of the fall. That means it’s a perfect occasion…
During the first 10 seasons of The Voice, 52 contestants have been from the Lone Star State with 18 of those being from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Voice apparently loves Texans, and Season 11 has proved to be no different. Five DFW residents or homeowners have made it past…
Last week the 2016 Dallas Observer Music Awards officially got a date, and now comes the important part: the ballot. For the 28th year running, the DOMAs are here to celebrate the artists, venues, promoters and everyone else who makes the Dallas music scene great. Voting is open as of…
Kim Finch looks tired. The owner of two of Dallas’ most popular dives, Double Wide near Expo Park and Single Wide on Lower Greenville, is a regular presence slinging drinks behind the bar. But on a Friday night at the end of September, the last week has taken its toll,…
Die Antwoord House of Blues, Dallas Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 Saturday night’s show at the House of Blues may have been the final in Dallas for South Africa’s Die Antwoord. The rave-rap Zef trio have been touring behind their new album, Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid. The group announced it…
Kacey Musgraves State Fair of Texas, Fair Park, Dallas Friday, Sept. 30, 2016 I’ve never seen Texas-country musician Kacey Musgraves in concert. And after attending her show at the State Fair of Texas its opening night, I still have never seen her in concert. There were hundreds or probably thousands…
Six Shooter is a recurring feature where we highlight six new releases by North Texas-based musicians Post Malone – “Deja Vu” Not long after wrapping up a nationwide tour together, Post Malone and Justin Bieber team up once again for their music collaboration “Deja Vu.” The melodic track featuring similar…
As Dallas now turns its attention to all things black and orange with the beginning of October, it may be hard to put off those trips to the wonderfully tacky, seasonally popular Halloween stores popping up all over the place. But with the first week of the spooky month offering…
George Strait doesn’t have to do much to be the life of the party. Showing up is pretty much enough to convert men into slack-jawed idiots and women of nearly any generation into star-eyed groupies. The country music superstar doesn’t tour anymore, but he’s making the rounds on a cross-country…
The life of the music memorabilia collector can be a strange one. There are your more ordinary items, like gig posters or rare records. But from there you can go pretty far down the rabbit hole, through sweat-stained clothing to, say, locks of David Bowie’s hair — or, as is…
For three days in late September, Oaktopia Fest converged on downtown Denton, bringing live music to the clubs and open areas surrounding the square. But at the same time, there was another festival happening, a brand new experiment called Broketopia. Spanning five days and seven venues, and with a lineup…
